Frame with hold-down clips and release pins for placing elastic bands around container covers



y 4, 1950 H A DOOLITTLE 2,514,038

FRAME WITH HOLD-.bOWN CLIPS AND RELEASE PINS FOR PLACING ELASTIC BANDS AROUND CONTAINER COVERS Filed Sept. 3, 194? Wm! .91 $0.9M Wm gd/b lzl M AMornegs Patented July 4, 1950 FRAME WITH HOLD-DOWN CLIPSAND RE- A LEASE PINS FOR PLACING ELASTIC BANDS AROUND CONTAINER COVERS Howard A. Doolittle, East Haven, Conn.

Application September 3, 1947, Serial No. "L994 M 2 Claims. (Cl. 226-129) This invention relates to an improvement in means for applying covers to boxes or baskets of berries or other small fruits.

It is desirable and in some places compulsory that small fruit for market shall be covered. The best material for covers is sheets of cellophane but difficulty is experienced in securing such covers to the boxes. Rubber bands produce the best results but it has also been difiicult to apply them.

The object of this invention is to provide means for holding a cover over and securing the same to a basket, and the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described and particularly recited in the claims.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art.

In the accompanying drawings, in which certain modes of carrying out the present invention are shown for illustrative purposes:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device for applying covers to baskets and constructed in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1 shown as positioned over a filled and covered basket;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 of a modified form of band-release.

The device consists of a rectangular frame corresponding in size to the size of the basket with which it is to be used.

Secured to each side wall I is a spring-clip l l, the upper end 12 of which is curved inward. In each corner of the frame is a clearance notch l3 in which is located a pin l4. These pins may be formed at the free ends of spring-wires l5 and normally project upwardly beyond the upper edge of the frame.

The spring-wires 15 are of U-shaped form and have their ends opposite the pins l4 rigidly secured to the frame at the corners of the side walls II]. To prevent the free ends of the springwires from being displaced outwardly from their normal positions, a staple It or other suitable retaining-means is provided, the cross-reach of the staple bridging the respective grooves l3 adjacent the pins [4, and serves to effectively hold the free ends of the spring-Win95 IS in their respective grooves.

As thus constructed'and arranged, the pins l4 may be moved downwardly into their respectivegrooves l3'byzpressing the upper reaches of the spring-wires l5 downwardly to thus bring the outer ends of the pins l4 beneath the upper edge of the side walls H], for the purpose as will hereinafter appear. The pins 14 in their normal position serve to hold an expanded rubber band I! extending parallel to the upper edge of the side walls In and spaced slightly away therefrom.

A sheet I8 of cellophane or other suitable material is placed over a filled basket l9 and extends down over the rim '20 thereof. The frame is then set over the basket and the clips I I serve to hold the skirt-portions of the sheet or cover l8 below the rim 20, to thus retain the sheet or cover temporarily in place. The operator has both hands free to depress two of the pins l4 into a position below the upper edge of the side walls ID, as above described, to partially free the rubber band by stripping the latter from the two depressed pins. This stripping is accomplished by the rubber band being prevented from downward displacement by its engagement with the adjacent surface of the side walls Ill while the pins [4 are depressed into the grooves [3 out of holding engagement with the rubber band.

The release of the rubber band I 1 from two of the pins II will allow the said band to snap inwardly into engagement with the adjacent portions of the basket ill to thus firmly grip and hold the same portions of the sheet It in place. By depressing the remaining two pins M in the same manner as the two pins previously described, the band I! is completely released so that the remaining portion of the said band may snap into holding engagement around the remainder of the basket I9. Upon release of downward pressure on the upper reaches of the spring-wires IS, the pins M will automatically move into their normal uppermost positions in readiness to receive a new rubber band.

It will be apparent that as the rubber band is in a position just below the rim 2B of the basket and above the edge of the sheet IS, the latter is firmly secured to the basket by the encircling rubber band. The now-covered basket may be removed from the frame, a rubber band placed in position on the pins [4 and the frame set over another basket with its sheet or cover 18, preparatory to another sequence of operations, as above described.

It is obvious that the pins l4 may be formed otherwise as, for example, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, pins 2| may be formed at the upper end of a plunger 22 which is normally held in its upper position by a spring 23 and is depressible to release a rubber band, in the manner described in the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

With this device, a helper may readily place the rubber bands in position so that all the packer has to do i'sto set 'the frame over? a basket and depress the pins;

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth with out departing from the spirit and essentialcharacteristics of the invention, and the present em bodiments are, therefore, to be considereii in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meanhfg"and-*equiva lency range of the appended claims .ave'intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. A device for affixing covers to boxes comprismg :ia r'e ctangula'r mmm'eya spmis cup attached te eaeh siue'of the saz'id'iframerand extending up warmly and inwardly-inside thereof; and a spring m Number Name Date 1,484,050 r Zimmerman e t .Feb.19,- 1924 2,069,351 Briggs Feb.-'--2, 1937w l a spring-pin mounted at each cornerand adapted to be depressed into said slots below the upper surface of the frame and adapted to hold a rubher band:

- HOWARD A. DOOLI'I'TLE.

' REFERENCES CITED The 'followihg references are of record in the file rof lthis patent-1,

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

